How Much Do You Spend On Wine?

This week on Brown Bag Wine Tasting, we have restaurateur Justin Urich who talks wine, food and running a restaurant with William Shatner.

Do you know how much money you spend on wine? And do you have to spend more to enjoy wine?

According to an article by Brian Palmer for Slate.com most critics seem to suggest that an "everyday" bottle of wine costs about $15 which he believes shouldn't be the case. In Europe, where people drink a lot more wine than Americans, it's not uncommon to spend $2.00 for an "everyday" wine. There have been many studies that prove that most of us aren't as in tune with good and bad wine as we thought. When presented with two glasses of the exact same wine but told that one is more expensive than the other, most people say that the expensive wine tastes better. It's a trick our brains play on us! Expensive doesn't mean better!

So for the wine drinker on a budget, here are some tips to picking out a cheap wine you might just like.

Look for wine from regions known for less expensive, quality wine like New Zealand, Argentina or Chile. These days New Zealand is well known for their sauvignon blanc. And something to remember if you prefer red wine, it's hard for winemakers to screw up a cabernet sauvignon because that variety of grape thrives well in most conditions. Turns out, there are more options than you even imagined!

Don't be afraid of wine in a box. Thanks to new technology and better quality, it's much easier to produce delicious wine in a box. Plus, box wine lasts much longer than it does in the bottle AND costs less to package.

If you find a wine you truly love, why not buy it in bulk? Some wine stores will offer a discount if you buy 6 or 12 bottles at a time.

What are some of your favorite inexpensive wines?

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.